10 Then Samuel took a jar of oil and he poured the oil on Saul's head. He kissed Saul. He said:
‘The Lord has anointed you as the leader of his people. [ a ] You will rule over them and you will rescue them from the power of their enemies. This is how you will know that the Lord has chosen you to be the leader of the Israelite people:
2 After you leave me today, you will meet two men at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin's land. They will be near the grave where Rachel is buried. The men will say to you, “Someone has found the donkeys that you were looking for. Your father is no longer thinking about his donkeys. Now he is upset because he does not know where you are. He continues to ask, ‘What can I do about my son?’ ”
3 After you leave there, you will reach the big tree at Tabor. Three men will meet you there. They are going to Bethel to worship God there. One of the men will have three young goats with him. One of them will have three loaves of bread. The third man will have a bag full of wine. 4 They will say “hello” to you and they will offer you two loaves of bread. You must accept the bread. 5 Then you must go to God's special hill at Gibeah. Some Philistine soldiers have their camp there. When you reach the town, you will meet a group of prophets. They will be coming down from the hill where people worship God. They will be making music with their harps, tambourines, flutes and lyres. They will be prophesying as they go along. 6 Then the Lord 's Spirit will come to you with power. You will start to prophesy too. You will change to become like a different person. 7 After you see these things happen, you must do whatever seems right to you. God will be with you.
8 You must go to Gilgal and then I will come there. I will join with you there to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings to God. You must wait for seven days until I come. When I arrive at Gilgal, I will tell you what you should do.’
9 Saul turned away to leave Samuel. At that moment, God gave Saul a new nature. Everything that Samuel had said to Saul happened that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met them. God's Spirit came on Saul with power. He started to prophesy as the prophets were doing. 11 People who already knew Saul could not understand what was happening. When they saw him prophesying along with the prophets, they asked each other, ‘What has happened to this son of Kish? Has Saul himself become a prophet?’
12 A man who lived in Gibeah asked, ‘Do you know who is the father of all these prophets?’ Because of what happened, it became a proverb to say, ‘Has Saul himself become a prophet?’ 13 When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the hill where people worship God.
14 When Saul's uncle saw Saul and his servant, he asked them, ‘Where have you been?’ Saul said, ‘We went to look for the donkeys. We could not find them so we went to visit Samuel.’
15 Saul's uncle said, ‘What did Samuel say to you?’
16 Saul replied, ‘He told us that someone had found the donkeys.’ But Saul did not tell his uncle that Samuel had said that he would become the king.
17 Samuel sent a message to all Israel's people. He told them to come to Mizpah to meet with the Lord . 18 He said to them, ‘This is a message from the Lord , Israel's God: “I led you Israelites out from Egypt. I saved you from the power of the Egyptians. I also saved you from other kingdoms that were cruel to you. 19 I am the one who saves you from all your pain and troubles. But now you have turned against me, your God. You have said, ‘No! We want a king to rule over us instead.’ So now come and stand in front of the Lord . Stand together in your tribes and in your clans.” ’
20 So each tribe came forward to Samuel, tribe by tribe. God chose Benjamin's tribe. 21 Then each family from Benjamin's tribe went forward. God chose the family of Matri. Then God chose Kish's son Saul from the family of Matri. They looked for Saul but nobody could find him. 22 So they asked the Lord , ‘Has Saul arrived here yet?’ The Lord said, ‘Yes, but he is hiding among the luggage.’
23 So they ran to find Saul. They brought him out from there. When Saul stood among the people, you could see his head above everyone else. 24 Samuel said to all the people, ‘Look! Here is the man that the Lord has chosen. There is nobody like him among all the people.’ Then the people shouted, ‘May the king live for a long time!’
25 Then Samuel explained to the people all the rules about a king. He wrote everything in a book. He put the book in a special place where they worshipped the Lord . Then Samuel told all the people to go to back to their homes. 26 Saul himself went back to his home at Gibeah. A group of brave men went with him. God had caused them to want to do that. 27 But some wicked men were complaining. They said, ‘This man will never be able to save us.’ They did not respect Saul. They did not bring him any gifts. But Saul did not say anything against them.
10 Samuel took a jar of the special oil and poured the oil on Saul’s head. Samuel kissed Saul and said, “The Lord has anointed you to be the leader over the people who belong to him. You will control the people. You will save them from the enemies that are all around them. He has anointed you to be ruler over his people. Here is a sign that will prove this is true: [ a ] 2 After you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. The two men will say to you, ‘Someone found the donkeys you were looking for. Your father stopped worrying about his donkeys. Now he is worrying about you. He is saying: What will I do about my son?’”
3 Samuel said, “Then you will go until you come to the large oak tree at Tabor. Three men will meet you there. They will be on their way to worship God at Bethel. One man will be carrying three young goats. The second man will be carrying three loaves of bread. And the third man will have a leather bag full of wine. 4 These three men will say hello to you. They will offer you two bread offerings reserved for priests, [ b ] and you will accept that bread. 5 Then you will go to Gibeath Elohim. There is a Philistine fort in that place. When you come to this town, a group of prophets will come out. These prophets will come down from the place for worship. [ c ] They will be prophesying. [ d ] They will be playing harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres. 6 Then the Lord ’s Spirit will come on you with great power. You will be changed. You will be like a different man. You will begin to prophesy with these prophets. 7 After that happens, you can do whatever you choose to do, because God will be with you.
8 “Go to Gilgal before me. Then I will come there to you. And I will offer burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. But you must wait seven days. Then I will come and tell you what to do.”
9 Just as Saul turned to leave Samuel, God turned Saul’s life around. All these things happened that day. 10 When Saul and his servant came to Gibeath Elohim, Saul met a group of prophets. God’s Spirit came on Saul with great power, and Saul prophesied with the prophets. 11 Some of the people who had known Saul before saw him prophesying with the prophets. So they asked each other, “What has happened to Kish’s son? Is Saul also one of the prophets?”
12 A man living in Gibeath Elohim said, “Yes, and it seems that he is their leader.” [ e ] That is why this became a famous saying: “Is Saul also one of the prophets?”
13 After Saul finished prophesying, he went to the place of worship.
14 Saul’s uncle asked Saul and his servant, “Where have you been?”
Saul said, “We were looking for the donkeys. When we couldn’t find them, we went to see Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me, what did Samuel say to you?”
16 Saul answered, “Samuel told us the donkeys were already found.” He did not tell his uncle everything. Saul did not tell him what Samuel said about the kingdom.
17 Samuel told all the Israelites to meet together with the Lord at Mizpah. 18 Samuel told the Israelites, “The Lord , the God of Israel says, ‘I led Israel out of Egypt. I saved you from Egypt’s control and from the other kingdoms that tried to hurt you.’ 19 But today you have rejected your God. Your God saves you from all your troubles and problems. But you said, ‘No, we want a king to rule us.’ Now come, stand before the Lord in your family groups and tribes.”
20 Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near. Then Samuel began to choose the new king. First, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. 21 Samuel told each family in the tribe of Benjamin to pass by. Matri’s family was chosen. Then Samuel told each man in Matri’s family to walk by. Saul son of Kish was chosen.
But when the people looked for Saul, they could not find him. 22 Then they asked the Lord , “Has Saul come here yet?”
The Lord said, “Saul is hiding behind the supplies.”
23 The people ran and took Saul out from behind the supplies. Saul stood up among the people. He was a head taller than anyone else.
24 Samuel said to all the people, “See the man the Lord has chosen. There is no one like Saul among the people.”
Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained the rules of the kingdom to the people. He wrote the rules in a book and put the book before the Lord . Then Samuel told the people to go home.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah. God touched the hearts of brave men who then began to follow Saul. 27 But some troublemakers said, “How can this man save us?” They said bad things about Saul and refused to bring gifts to him. But Saul said nothing.
King Nahash of the Ammonites had been hurting the tribes of Gad and Reuben. Nahash poked out the right eye of each of the men and did not allow anyone to help them. He poked out the right eye of every Israelite man living in the area east of the Jordan River. But 7000 Israelite men ran away from the Ammonites and came to Jabesh Gilead. [ f ]
10 Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance?
2 When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?
3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine:
4 And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands.
5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy:
6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.
7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee.
8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day.
10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
12 And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
14 And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel.
15 And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you.
16 And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.
17 And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh;
18 And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you:
19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands.
20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore they enquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold he hath hid himself among the stuff.
23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king.
25 Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord . And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.
26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.
27 But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought no presents. But he held his peace.
10 Then ( A ) Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on [ a ] Saul’s head, ( B ) kissed him, and said, “Has ( C ) the Lord not anointed you as ruler over ( D ) His inheritance? 2 When you leave me today, then you will find two men close to ( E ) Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘ ( F ) The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has stopped talking about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What am I to do about my son?”’ 3 Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the [ b ] ( G ) oak of Tabor, and there three men going up ( H ) to God at Bethel will meet you: one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine. 4 And they will [ c ] greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand. 5 Afterward you will come to [ d ] ( I ) the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet ( J ) a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre in front of them, and ( K ) they will be prophesying. 6 Then ( L ) the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and ( M ) you will prophesy with them and be changed into a different man. 7 And it shall be when these signs come to you, ( N ) do for yourself what [ e ] the occasion requires, because ( O ) God is with you. 8 And ( P ) you shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and ( Q ) sacrifice peace offerings. ( R ) You shall wait seven days until I come to you and inform you of what you should do.”
9 Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, that God ( S ) changed [ f ] his heart; and all those signs came about on that day. 10 ( T ) When they came there to [ g ] the hill, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he prophesied among them. 11 And it came about, when all who previously knew him saw that he was indeed prophesying with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? ( U ) Is Saul also among the prophets?” 12 And a man from there responded and said, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a saying: “ ( V ) Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14 Now ( W ) Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “ ( X ) To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found , we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” 16 So Saul said to his uncle, “ ( Y ) He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.
17 Now Samuel called the ( Z ) people together to the Lord at Mizpah; 18 and he said to the sons of Israel, “ ( AA ) This is what the Lord , the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the [ h ] power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ 19 But today you ( AB ) have rejected your God, who saves you from all your catastrophes and your distresses; yet you have [ i ] said, ‘No, but put a king over us!’ Now then, ( AC ) present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your [ j ] groups of thousands.”
20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel forward; and the tribe of Benjamin was selected by lot. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin forward by its families, and the Matrite family was selected by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was selected by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore ( AD ) they inquired further of the Lord : “Has the man come here yet?” And the Lord said, “Behold, he is hiding himself among the baggage.” 23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, ( AE ) he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ( AF ) whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “ [ k ] ( AG ) Long live the king!”
25 Then Samuel told the people ( AH ) the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book, and ( AI ) placed it before the Lord . And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house. 26 Saul also went ( AJ ) to his house in Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But certain [ l ] ( AK ) useless men said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and ( AL ) did not bring him a gift. But [ m ] he kept silent about it .
10 Then Samuel took a flask ( A ) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed ( B ) you ruler over his inheritance? [ a ] ( C ) 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb, ( D ) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys ( E ) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried ( F ) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’
3 “Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel ( G ) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, ( H ) which you will accept from them.
5 “After that you will go to Gibeah ( I ) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost. ( J ) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets ( K ) coming down from the high place ( L ) with lyres, timbrels, ( M ) pipes ( N ) and harps ( O ) being played before them, and they will be prophesying. ( P ) 6 The Spirit ( Q ) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed ( R ) into a different person. 7 Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever ( S ) your hand ( T ) finds to do, for God is with ( U ) you.
8 “Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. ( V ) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven ( W ) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”
9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed ( X ) Saul’s heart, and all these signs ( Y ) were fulfilled ( Z ) that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit ( AA ) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. ( AB ) 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this ( AC ) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” ( AD )
12 A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” ( AE ) 13 After Saul stopped prophesying, ( AF ) he went to the high place.
14 Now Saul’s uncle ( AG ) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys, ( AH ) ” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16 Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys ( AI ) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah ( AJ ) 18 and said to them, “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed ( AK ) you.’ 19 But you have now rejected ( AL ) your God, who saves ( AM ) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king ( AN ) over us.’ ( AO ) So now present ( AP ) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”
20 When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken. ( AQ ) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22 So they inquired ( AR ) further of the Lord , “Has the man come here yet?”
And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”
23 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller ( AS ) than any of the others. 24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen? ( AT ) There is no one like ( AU ) him among all the people.”
Then the people shouted, “Long live ( AV ) the king!”
25 Samuel explained ( AW ) to the people the rights and duties ( AX ) of kingship. ( AY ) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord . Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.
26 Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, ( AZ ) accompanied by valiant men ( BA ) whose hearts God had touched. 27 But some scoundrels ( BB ) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. ( BC ) But Saul kept silent.
